Peterson airman sentenced to 4 1/2 years behind bars

A court-martial panel on Friday sentenced Peterson Air Force Base's Senior Airman Herbert Mullens to four and half years in confinement on charges including escaping pretrial confinement, heroin use and driving while under the influence, the Air Force said in a news release.
He was also...

A court-martial panel on Friday sentenced Peterson Air Force Base's Senior Airman Herbert Mullens to four and half years in confinement on charges including escaping pretrial confinement, heroin use and driving while under the influence, the Air Force said in a news release.

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Photo by Air Force Photo

He was also convicted of desertion and burglary.

Mullens' trial began Tuesday.

Some of the charges stemed from an April 18 incident in which Mullens escaped a military escort to the Teller County jail, where he'd been held since April 5 after he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Mullens had asked to use the bathroom, and when his escorts stopped at a Woodland Park McDonald's, they didn't accompany him into the restroom, according to Teller County Sheriff Mike Ensminger.

Mullens was captured April 20 after he was spotted riding an apparently stolen ATV on Rampart Range Road.

The court-martial panel also moved to kick Mullens out of the Air Force after he's served his time.